Tech Tuesday: Scrivener Format Menu Tidbits

Tech Tuesday: Scrivener Format Menu Tidbits

Scrivener is full of many small but very useful features. I have stumbled across most of them by accident, and I thought I'd share them over the next couple of Tuesdays.

Converting Multiple Spaces to Single Space

In many parts of the publishing world, the new standard for spacing is a single-space between sentences. Until I got used to typing that way though, I had a complete MS that was double-spaced. You could use Project Replace to fix it, but there's an even easier way. Of course.

1. View the affected text in the Editor (view your Manuscript folder in Scrivenings view to affect the entire MS), and click inside the Editor pane to activate it.

2. From the Format menu, choose Convert.

Note that the Convert submenu also offers easy text conversions for UPPERCASE, lowercase, and Title Case.

3. Click Multiple Spaces to Space.

If you just can't get over typing two spaces between words, another option is to convert from multiple to single spaces during the compile process. You'll find the option under the Transformations tab.

Show Invisible (non-printing) Characters

Have you ever wanted to view the non-printing characters in your MS? You know, like paragraph marks and spaces? Scrivener has a function called Show Invisibles that does just that.

1. From the Format menu, choose Options, then Show Invisibles (affects all documents).

2. To remove, repeat Step 1.

Use Typewriter Scrolling in the Editor Window

In Full Screen mode, the line you're typing is always at the center of the page by default. Unless I'm editing, I love it because I'm not always looking at the bottom of the window while typing, but I don't always write in Full Screen. This feature–called Typewriter Scrolling–is also available in the Editor window.

1. Click within a text document.

2. From the Format menu, choose Options, then Typewriter Scrolling.

3. Will affect all documents until you turn it off by repeating Step 2.

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19 Comments

Thanks Gwen for asking about me on Twitter, I feel better. My vision is not completely restored but enough to read your post today.
You gave us so much valuable information that it makes me want to start writing a book:)
Have a great day Gwen!
Mirella

Denise: Right, I understand. I didn’t know if maybe you had imported a file that had been formatted in another program. Sometimes people add a nonbreaking space so the word wrap won’t break on that space.

For those double spaces between sentences where it didn’t work, are those in the same documents where it did work? Meaning it wasn’t that you didn’t include a document when you ran the conversion, but that some two-space combos must be different. I might have to refer you to tech support because without looking at your project I can’t troubleshoot much further.

Yes, some files were imported. I never purposely added nonbreaking space. The double spaces do seem to be in the imported docs. Now I’m not sure if I’ve double and single spaced between sentences within the same doc or if the software fixed some spaces and not others. Ugh. I’ll see what I can figure out and contact tech support if need be. Thanks for your help. One last question. I’m attempting to single space the entire manuscript in Scrivenings view. You say to click in the Editor pane to activate. What exactly is the Editor pane? I’m clicking at the top of the first page of the manuscript.

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Gwen Hernandez is the author of Scrivener For Dummies, the Men of Steele series of romantic suspense, and Productivity Tools For Writers. She provides Scrivener training through ScrivenerClasses.com, private instruction, and in-person workshops. Thanks for visiting!

Gwen Hernandez is the author of Scrivener For Dummies, romantic suspense (Men of Steele series), and Productivity Tools for Writers, and a contributor to Author In Progress. She teaches Scrivener to students all over the world through her online courses, private training, and in-person workshops.

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